How to Interview and Assess a Serial Job Hopper

No manager wants to hire someone who is going to turn around and quit after a year on the job. But how can you tell if a candidate is going to stick around, especially if he has a history of job hopping?

Take a closer look. Resumes can be misleading, so don’t immediately discount a candidate who’s had three jobs in two years. There may be good reason. For example, if you are looking at the resume of a recent college graduate, he may have made a rookie mistake and listed all of his internships along with his current job under “Employment.” (I recommend listing internships under “Education” or a separate “Internships” section). The candidate looks like a job hopper when in fact he’s really a workaholic, getting a 3.7 GPA while balancing an internship and a part-time job as a waiter. That’s the kind of person you are looking for — someone who can successfully balance lots of responsibilities.

It also makes a difference when the short stints in a resume occurred. The years from 2007 to 2010 were full of massive layoffs in the financial sector that triggered more layoffs in every part of the economy — from construction workers, teachers, and police officers to lawyers and nurses. When you look at resumes of people whose short stints fall in those years, look at what they did to rebuild their careers, not the gaps or the multiple jobs. That’s how to find out what they’re really made of.

Then, when the candidate comes in for an interview, dig deeper. Start with her oldest position and work your way up. For each job, ask two questions: why did you leave the position and why did you take the next one? End by asking the candidate about her current position and what she is looking for in her next job.

Listen for patterns. Is she consistently negative about the places she worked? Or her bosses? Or colleagues? Does she consistently change jobs looking for more pay? Or more responsibility? Once you know a candidate’s reasons for changing jobs, the question you need to ask yourself is, “What does that behavior pattern mean for me and my team?”

In my opinion, a pattern of negativity or of complaining about bosses, colleagues, or customers is always a red flag, job hopper or not. But in the case of the person looking for more pay or responsibility, my response would depend on the job you’re hiring for and what the company can offer. If your organization is able to keep promoting or rewarding the candidate, you may have found the perfect hire.

But what if you’re still worried she’ll leave? Ask the candidate to commit to a reasonable length of time in the job; it almost always works. Your pitch should go something like this:

“You are one of the top candidates for the position on my team. But looking at your work history, I am still concerned by the number of positions you have had in the last few years. What we are looking for is someone who can make a commitment for three years while our organization makes major changes to our products and services. Do you think you can make a commitment to our team for that length of time?”

Warning: If you yourself are out looking for another job, or your team or organization is experiencing a lot of turnover, don’t try this. It will backfire.

The pitch has to be personal, have a reasonable time limit, and include a rationale. If the person seems hesitant, give her a day to think it over and get back to you. If you get a quick “yes,” you may have found the star employee you are looking for.

With these techniques, you will never have to worry about hiring a problematic job hopper again — you’ll know how to weed them out. But even more important, you’ll learn how to identify great hires that others may pass over for the gaps or short stints on their resumes. After all isn’t that what being successful in business is all about — seeing a business opportunity that others ignore?